Captain Steve Borthwick rounded on England's critics after his side had demonstrated some long-awaited fire despite another defeat at Twickenham.
Borthwick has borne the brunt of the flak during a disappointing autumn series in which England have lost to Australia, narrowly beaten Argentina and on Saturday lost 19-6 to the All Blacks.
Former England stars such as Will Greenwood had even advised manager Martin Johnson to sack his skipper and coaching staff before he was "dragged down with them".
But Borthwick insists that negativity has only served to unify the England team.
Borthwick said: "Every loss hurts and I can't put into words the emotions of the guys. On one side they are absolutely devastated by the loss.
"On the other side I am proud of the effort and the way the guys have stood tight because there have been lots of people taking pot shots at us and trying to split this group and the guys have stayed tremendously tight."
In a determined first half against New Zealand it looked as if the increased passion levels might even deliver a famous victory.
England shrugged off the disappointment of losing Joe Worsley after just two minutes with a knee injury.
They played 'In your face' rugby. Scrum-half Paul Hodgson injected energy. England forwards exerted real control for the first time this November. They looked like a team who actually had a game plan, rather than the kick-the-ball-away bunch who had somehow beaten Argentina in a confusion of awfulness the week before.
Borthwick said: "There are huge positives to come out of these three games. James Haskell has stepped up to prove he is an exemplary, top-class player at this level. The way Lewis Moody has played. The way our squad has coped with injuries.
"And the ones who have come back into the international fold such as Steve Thompson and Jonny Wilkinson. Plus the experience Matt Banahan now has at international level."
The problem with "positives" in defeat, however, is that they attract negatives and the fact is that England scored only one try in their three matches and rarely looked capable of adding more.
There is a dearth of creativity, one which reflects unfavourably on fly-half Wilkinson for all his undeniable courage and goal-kicking acumen.
Wilkinson is not the player he was back in 2003 and his poor game management and aimless kicking from hand on Saturday would have been more exposed if All Black counterpart Dan Carter, who missed two penalties from in front of the posts, had not experienced a rare bad day at the office.
As it was the England player who caught the eye most was Simon Shaw, the 36-year-old second row who reminded fans of what the aggression was like when Johnson himself was roaming rugby HQ before leaving the fray deep into the second half with a neck injury.
Shaw, beard greying these days but who gets around the park as well as ever, is not one to embroider.
Is there a chance of him going on to the 2011 World Cup, he was asked?
"Let's hope so," he replied. "I don't see any reason why not. But it's a fair way away."
What keeps the enthusiasm going?
"Seeing mates who have retired looking miserable," he added.
After which he was pressed to sum up the encounter.
"We restored a bit of pride. We gave it our all," he said.
"Unfortunately the first 20 minutes in the second half when the All Blacks traditionally are strong we weren't clinical enough with our line-outs and scrums. We need to take another step forward."
A big step, it might be suggested, if England are to kick off the Six Nations against Wales in two months time with confidence.
At least after Saturday it is not all black, but Johnson and Borthwick still have much to do to win over the critics.
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